About
An alpine herbaceous perennial up to 6cm high, with an almost flat rosette of rounded, felted succulent green leaves, and many white, lavender-tinged or lavender-blue flowers 2-3cm across in late winter or spring.
About the genus
Petrocosmea are evergreen perennials producing low rosettes of fleshy, often felted, lance-shaped or rounded leaves. Five-lobed, tubular to bell-shaped flowers are produced in small clusters in spring
Growing conditions
SunlightPartial shade
Soil typeChalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAlkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureWell-drained
AspectWest-facing, East-facing, South-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH2
Plant details
Plant typeAlpine Rockery
HabitMatforming
FoliageEvergreen
HeightUp to 10 cm
Spread0.1-0.5 metres
Time to full height2-5 years
Suggested usesPatio and container plants
Native toChina (Yunnan)
Care notes
CultivationGrow in a cold greenhouse or alpine house, in indirect light, in a shallow pot of very well-drained, peat-free, loam-based compost with added grit and leafmould; water moderately while growing, and sparingly in winter, and always keep water off the leaves; in frost-free climates, grow in shade in vertical crevices in walls or rock gardens so that rain will drain away
PruningNo pruning required
PropagationPropagate by seed sown as soon as it is ripe, or by leaf cuttings in summer and autumn
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to slugs, snails, aphids, glasshouse whitefly, mealybugs, scale insects and tarsonemid mites
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to mildew and by crown, leaf, stem and root rots